Golf Putting Pad and Game

ABSTRACT

In some embodiments, a golf putting pad may include a substrate, a boundary area extending about a periphery of the substrate, and a putting area extending over a portion of the substrate inside of the boundary area. The putting area may include a plurality of holes, each of which may be sized to receive a golf ball. The golf putting pad may further include an out-of-bounds gutter area between the putting area and the boundary area and defining a periphery of the putting area. In some embodiments, the putting area may be substantially planar and may define a slope. The slope may be within a range of zero percent to five percent. In some embodiments, the slope may be adjustable.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a non-provisional of and claims priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/186,081 filed on Jun. 29, 2015 andentitled “Golf Putting Pad and Game”, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure is generally related to training devices forgolf, and more particularly, to golf putting pads or putting surfacesand games or contests that can be played with such golf putting pads.

BACKGROUND

Practice putting greens are commonly provided at golf courses forpracticing putting before or after playing a round of golf. Storessometimes provide putting areas so that consumers may try a particularputter before choosing to purchase it.

In general, practice putting greens often provide either substantiallyflat or randomly undulating surfaces with multiple holes distributedthereon to allow a golfer to putt. However, such surfaces do not providecompletely flat areas of known slope and fall-line direction overmultiple-hole layouts, with slope values that a golfer may face on agolf course.

SUMMARY

In some embodiments, a golf putting pad may include a substrate, aboundary area extending about a periphery of the substrate, and aputting area extending over a portion of the substrate inside of theboundary area. The putting area may include a plurality of holes, eachof which may be sized to receive a golf ball. The golf putting pad mayfurther include an out-of-bounds gutter area between the putting areaand the boundary area and defining a periphery of the putting area. Insome embodiments, the putting area may be substantially planar and maydefine a slope. The grade of the slope may be within a range of zero tofive percent. In some embodiments, the slope may be adjustable in thisslope range.

In another embodiment, a method may include providing a golf putting padincluding a boundary area, a putting area, and an out-of-bounds gutterarea. The boundary area may extend about a periphery of the golf puttingpad. The putting area may be located inside of the boundary area and mayinclude a plurality of holes where each hole may be sized to receive agolf ball. The out-of-bounds gutter area may be located between theputting area and the boundary area and may define a periphery of theputting area. In some embodiments, the method may further includedetermining a score for a golfer based on at least a first attempt toputt a golf ball into each hole of a selected sequence of the pluralityof holes. The selected sequence may define a round. The method mayfurther include recording a total score for the round for the golferbased on the score for each hole.

In still other embodiments, a golf putting pad may include a puttingarea defining a substantially planar surface including a plurality ofholes, where each hole may be sized to receive a golf ball. The golfputting pad may further include an out-of-bounds gutter area along aperiphery of the putting area. The putting area may define a gradewithin a range of zero to five percent. In some embodiments, the slopemay be adjusted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a golf putting pad, in accordance withcertain embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a golf putting pad, in accordance with certainembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 3A-3C are cross-sectional views of a portion of a golf puttingpad, in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a golf putting pad, in accordance withcertain embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 5A-5D are side views of a golf putting pad having differentslopes, in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 6 is a diagram of the golf putting pad and arrows indicating anordered sequence by which a golfer may play a game, in accordance withcertain embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of a method of playing a game using a golfputting pad, in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of a method of playing a game using a golfputting pad, in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of a method of playing a game using a golfputting pad, in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of a method of playing a game using a golfputting pad, in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

In the following discussion, the same reference numbers are used in thevarious embodiments to indicate the same or similar elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of a golf putting pad and associated methods are describedbelow. In some embodiments, the golf putting pad may include asubstantially planar playing surface having a plurality of holes anddefining a substantially uniform slope or grade within a range of zeroto five percent. In some embodiments, the slope may be adjustable withinthe range. In some embodiments, the golf putting pad may include acenter hole and a plurality of peripheral holes spaced apart from thecenter hole by a first distance. In some embodiments, the peripheralholes may be evenly spaced from one another by a second distance. Insome embodiments, the first distance may be ⅔rds of the second distance.Further, the holes may be sized according to United States GolfAssociation (USGA) Golf Rule specifications, or other size to receive agolf ball.

In a particular embodiment, the golf putting pad may include a puttingsurface including the holes, an edge area having a deeper cut about aperiphery of the putting surface, and an out-of-bounds area between theputting surface and the edge area. In some embodiments, theout-of-bounds area may be a gap between a putting green grass and adeeper cut grass. In some embodiments, the slope may be adjustable. Insome embodiments, the golf putting pad may be formed of a rigidmaterial, such as wood, plastic, or metal. The golf putting pad mayinclude a substantially rectangular, planar surface and a supportstructure configured to secure the surface at a desired angle relativeto horizontal. One possible example of a golf putting pad is describedbelow with respect to FIG. 1.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a golf putting pad 100, in accordancewith certain embodiments of the present disclosure. The apparatus 100may include a putting area 102 including peripheral holes 104 and acenter hole 106. The apparatus 100 may further include a boundary area108 and an out-of-bounds gutter area 112 between the putting surface 102and the boundary area 108.

In some embodiments, the putting area 102 may have a putting surfaceformed of artificial turf having a first turf length, and the boundaryarea 108 may have a grass surface formed of artificial turf having asecond turf length that is longer than the first turf length. In aparticular embodiment, the apparatus 100 may be approximately 16 feet bysixteen feet, of which the putting area may be approximately fifteenfeet by fifteen feet and the boundary area may be approximately sixinches on each side. The out-of-bounds gutter area 112 may be formed bythe transition between the first turf length and the second turf lengthor by a gap between the putting area 102 and the boundary gutter area112.

In some embodiments, the golf putting pad 100 may be formed from eightsheets of plywood, each having dimensions of four feet by eight feet.The apparatus 100 may further include a support structure to which thesheets of plywood may be attached. In some embodiments, the supportstructure may include one or more wedge-shaped ramp elements, which maybe positioned beneath the sheets of plywood to provide a stable slope.In some embodiments, the support structure may include a frame and mayinclude one or more adjustable elements configurable to provide adesired slope relative to the ground or to an underlying surface, whichmay be uneven or which may have a slope.

The golf putting pad 100 is configured to provide a substantiallyconstant slope and slope-fall-line direction across the playing surface,making it possible for a golfer to practice putting on equally breakingputts in opposite directions, without the added difficult of variableslopes and the unknown break value of opposite breaking putts. Inparticular, the putting surface 102 provides uphill, downhill,cross-slope, and hybrid putting opportunities known to be of“equal-but-opposite” break values and directions. The golf putting padmay be used indoors or outdoors and may provide precisely equal breakingputs in opposite directions as described above. This is of great valueto a golfer who knows the opposite breaking putts will break the sameamount, as some putters may struggle with a left-to-right cross-slopeputt while easily sinking a right-to-left cross-slope putt, even whenthe slope is the same. The golf putting pad 100 allows a golfer toidentify weaknesses in perception, green-reading (evaluating the amountof break for putts) technique, or both and to practice challenging puttson a slope or grade.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a golf putting pad 200, in accordance withcertain embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, thegolf putting pad 200 may be an example of the apparatus 100 in FIG. 1.The golf putting pad 200 includes a putting area 202 that may besubstantially square and that may have a width (P). The golf putting pad200 may also include a boundary area 208 that may also be substantiallysquare. In some embodiments, the golf putting pad 200 may have a width(W) and the boundary area may have a width (P), which forms a framearound the putting area 202. The golf putting pad 200 may furtherinclude an out-of-bounds area 212, which may extend about the peripheryof the putting area 202 between the putting area 202 and the boundaryarea 208. The boundary area may have a width (B).

In a particular embodiment, the golf putting pad 200 may have a width(W) of approximately 16 feet, the putting area 202 may have a width (P)of approximately 15 feet, and the boundary area 208 may have a width (B)of approximately five inches. In some embodiments, a small gap mayprovide an out-of-bounds area 212 between the boundary area 208 and theputting area 202, which out-of-bounds area 212 may have a width (O) ofapproximately an inch.

In some embodiments, the putting area 202 may include peripheral holes204, which may be arranged about a periphery of the putting area 202. Insome embodiments, the peripheral holes 204 may be spaced apart from oneanother by a distance (d1) and spaced apart from the peripheral edges ofthe putting area 202 by a distance (h1). The putting area 202 mayfurther include a center hole 206 arranged at a center point of theputting area 202, spaced apart from the peripheral edges of the puttingarea by a distance (h2), and spaced apart from each of the peripheralholes 204 by a distance (d2). In a particular embodiment, the distance(h1) may be approximately three feet, the distance (d1) may beapproximately nine feet, the distance (d2) may be approximately sixfeet, and the distance (h2) may be approximately seven and a half (7.5)feet. Other dimensions are also possible.

In the illustrated example, the peripheral holes 204 are arrangedsymmetrically about the center hole 206. The peripheral holes 204 arefurther arranged adjacent to the corners of the putting area 202, whichis substantially square, and are offset from the sides by three feet.The arrangement of the holes provides four nine-foot putts around theperipheral holes 204. The arrangement also provides four six-foot puttsfrom the peripheral holes 204 toward the center hole 206, and foursix-foot putts from the center hole 206 toward the peripheral holes 204.Finally, the arrangement of the holes provides four twelve-foot puttsdiagonally from the peripheral hole on one side to the peripheral holeon the opposite corner (in both directions).

While the golf putting pad 200 has been described with respect to aparticular configuration, in some embodiments, the putting pad 200 maybe circular, rectangular, or may have a different shape having four ormore sides. In some embodiments, the spacing between the perimeter holes204 may be greater than nine feet. In some embodiments, the spacing ofthe perimeter holes 204 from the sides of the putting area 202 may begreater than three feet or less than three feet, depending on theimplementation. In some embodiments, the relative positioning of theholes 204 and 206 may be changed.

In some embodiments, the golf putting pad 200 may have an adjustableslope, such that the slope of the putting pad 200 may be varied with arange. In an example, the golf putting pad 200 may be configured toprovide a putting surface having five possible slopes at zero percent,one percent, two percent, three percent, and four percent relative tohorizontal. In some embodiments, the slope may be within a range of zeropercent to five percent. In some embodiments, the golf putting pad 200may include adjustable supports. Further, in some embodiments, the golfputting pad 200 may include a controller configured to adjust thesupports to provide a desired slope.

FIGS. 3A-3C are cross-sectional views of a portion of a golf putting pad100 of FIG. 1 or 200 of FIG. 2, in accordance with certain embodimentsof the present disclosure. In FIG. 3A, a portion 300 of the golf puttingpad is shown that includes a putting area 102, a boundary area 108, andan out-of-bounds gutter area 112. The portion 300 may include asubstrate 302, which may be configured to support artificial turf andassociated under-layers. In the illustrated example, the substrate 302is configured to support a putting turf 306 associated with the puttingarea 102 and an under-layer 304 between the putting turf 306 and thesubstrate 302. The substrate 302 is further configured to support asecond turf 308 that is longer than the putting turf 306 and that isassociated with the boundary area 108. An under-layer 304 may bepositioned between the second turf 308 and the substrate 302. A gapbetween the putting turf 306 and the second turf 308 may define theout-of-bounds gutter area 112. In some embodiments, the out-of-boundsgutter area 112 may be the surface of the substrate 302.

In FIG. 3B, the portion 320 of the golf putting pad may include all ofthe elements of the portion 300 in FIG. 3A. However, the portion 320 mayfurther include a cut-out portion 322 extending into the surface of thesubstrate 302. In the illustrated example, the cut-out portion 322 mayform a curved bottom portion. However, in other embodiments, cut-outportion 322 may be rectangular, triangular, beveled, or may have someother shape.

In FIG. 3C, the portion 340 may have all of the elements of the portion300 in FIG. 3A, except that the gap between the putting turf 306 and thesecond turf 308 may be omitted such that the putting turf 306 and thesecond turf 308 may contact one another. In this instance, theout-of-bounds gutter area 112 may be provided by the interface betweenthe putting turf 306 and the second turf 308. Other embodiments are alsopossible.

In an alternative embodiment, the second turf 308 may be omitted, suchthat the entire boundary area 108 constitutes the out-of-bounds gutterarea. In other embodiments, the out-of-bounds gutter area 112 mayinclude an artificial turf layer that is longer than the putting turf306 and shorter than the second turf 308. Other embodiments are alsopossible.

In some embodiments, the golf putting pad 100 in FIG. 1 and the puttingpad 200 in FIG. 2 may be formed in the ground, by defining a puttingarea, for example, by pouring a concrete slab or processing an area toproduce the sloped substrate or surface. Alternatively, the golf puttingpad may be constructed of rigid materials, such as metal, wood,polyvinyl chloride (PVC), or other materials. In some embodiments, theconstructed golf putting pad may provide mechanical adjustability withrespect to the slope. One possible embodiment of a golf putting pad thatmay have an adjustable slope is described below with respect to FIG. 4.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a golf putting pad 400, in accordance withcertain embodiments of the present disclosure. The golf putting pad 400may a plurality of supports 402, 404, 406, and 408, which may be spacedevenly relative to the golf putting pad 400. In some embodiments, someor all of the supports 402, 404, 406, and 408 may be adjustable in termsof their height to tilt the golf putting pad 400 to provide a desiredslope.

The golf putting pad 400 may include circuitry 410 coupled to each ofthe supports 402, 404, 406, and 408. In some embodiments, the circuitry410 may include an incline controller 412 configured to determine aslope associated with the golf putting pad 400 based on incline data.The circuitry 410 may include one or more incline sensors 414, which maycommunicate the incline data to the incline controller 412. Thecircuitry 410 may further include support adjustment circuitry 416configured to adjust one or more of the supports 402, 404, 406, and 408to selectively alter a slope of the golf putting pad 400 to provide thedesired slope. In some embodiments, one or more of the supports 402,404, 406, and 408 may extend or retract in response to a control signalfrom the support adjustment circuitry 416 to adjust its relative heightand to provide a desired slope for the golf putting pad 400. In someembodiments, one of the supports, such as support 408, may be fixed, andthe other three supports 402, 404, and 406 may be adjustable. In someembodiments, all four of the supports 402, 404, 406, and 408 areadjustable. In some embodiments, each of the supports 402, 404, 406, and408 may be adjusted independent of the others to provide a desiredslope.

In some embodiments, the circuitry 410 may include other sensors 418,such as gyroscopes and other sensors. In some embodiments, the othersensors 418 may include pressure sensors, contact sensors or othersensors within the holes to detect when a golf ball rolls into one ofthe holes. The circuitry 410 may further include a game controller 420,which may be configured to implement one or more putting games byselectively altering a slope of the golf putting pad 400 in accordancewith a pre-configured game setting. The circuitry 410 may also includeone or more input/output interfaces 422, such as a universal serial bus(USB) interface, a high speed interface, an Ethernet interface, awireless transceiver interface, or some other circuit configurable tocommunicate data to and receive data from an electronic device 426 via acommunications link 424. The communications line 424 may be wired orwireless. In some embodiments, the I/O interface 422 may receive data,settings, instructions, or other information from the electronic device426 and may communicate such data, settings, instructions or otherinformation to at least one of the game controller 420 and the inclinecontroller 412. In some embodiments the electronic device 426 caninclude a smart phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, anothercomputer device, a remote control, or any combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the incline controller 412 may receive an inclineadjustment signal from an electronic device 426 via the I/O interface422. The incline adjustment signal may indicate a desired slope. Theincline controller 412 may cause the support adjustment circuitry 416 toadjust the slope of the golf putting pad 400 to provide a desired anglerelative to a horizontal slope.

In a particular embodiment, the golf putting pad 400 may be programmedfor a particular game. In an example, the game may include puttingtoward each of the holes from a particular start location and countingstrokes until the player putts the ball into the selected hole andaccumulating the count until the round is complete. The golf putting pad400 may be configured to provide a particular slope for each round,which may be different from the previous round. In one particularexample, the first round may be played at a slope of approximately onepercent grade, and the slope may be increased, one percent at a time foreach round, until the last round is played at a four percent slope.Other selected slopes may also be possible. In a particular embodiment,the slope is maintained between zero percent and five percent becausethe ball tends to roll off of the putting pad 400 if the slope exceedsfive percent. In some embodiments, increments other than integerincrements may be used to adjust the slope.

While the embodiment described in FIG. 4 uses a circuit to controladjustable supports to provide a desired slope, other embodiments arealso possible. In a particular example, the golf putting pad may includeone or more mechanical elements that may be accessed by a user to adjustthe height of one or more supports, making it possible to selectivelyadjust the slope of the golf putting pad, mechanically. Otherembodiments are also possible.

FIGS. 5A-5D are side views of a golf putting pad having differentslopes, in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentdisclosure. In FIG. 5A, the golf pad 500 is shown having a one percentslope. As discussed with respect to FIG. 4, supports 402, 404, 406, and408 may be adjusted to provide the selected slope.

In FIG. 5B, the slope of the putting pad 520 is shown at two percent. InFIG. 5C, the slope of the putting pad 530 is shown at three percent. InFIG. 5D, the slope of the putting pad 540 is shown at four percent.Other angles between zero percent and four percent may also be selected,such as 2.5 percent, 3.3 percent, 3.5 percent, 4.5 percent and so on.

In the above-embodiments, the putting pads have a substantially planar,smooth surface having a slope that extends substantially uniformly fromone end to the other. The term “substantially” is used in this contextbecause of manufacturing error tolerances, which may cause slightvariations in the surface of the substrate underlying the artificialturf. In some embodiments, the artificial turf overlaying the substratemay mitigate or eliminate such variations.

FIG. 6 is a diagram of the golf putting pad 600 and arrows indicating anordered sequence by which a golfer may play a game, in accordance withcertain embodiments of the present disclosure. The golf putting pad 600may include peripheral holes 602, 604, 606, and 608, and a center hole610. The peripheral holes 602, 604, 606, and 608 may be spaced apart byan equal distance and may also be equally spaced from the center hole610. In a particular embodiment, the center of the peripheral hole 602may be approximately nine feet from the center of the peripheral hole604, and each of the peripheral holes 602, 604, 606, and 608 may form asquare spaced by nine feet center-to-center. The center hole 610 may besix feet from each of the peripheral holes 602, 604, 606, and 608.

In the illustrated example, the golf putting pad 600 is configured at aslope of approximately four percent. The peripheral holes 604 and 606are at the top of the slope, and peripheral holes 602 and 608 are at thebottom of the slope.

In the illustrated example, a tee area for each hole is at a locationwithin six inches on either side of a corner hole 602, 604, 606, or 608and at a midpoint of the hole relative to the selected hole (i.e.,relative to the target hole). The tee area 614 for the first hole 604can be aligned with the center of the hole 602. The tee area 616 for thehole 606 may be aligned with the center of the hole 604. The tee area618 for the hole 608 may be aligned with the center of the hole 606. Thetee area 612 for the hole 602 may be aligned with the center of the hole602. Similarly, the tee areas 620, 622, 624, and 626 can be aligned withthe respective centers of the holes 602, 604, 606, and 608 and relativeto the center hole 610.

In one possible embodiment of a game, only a first putt toward each holecounts toward a golfer's score. When the first putt is made, the golferreceives a score of 1 stroke for that hole. Otherwise, when the firstputt is missed, the golfer receives a second putt, unless the first puttrolled into the out-of-bounds gutter area 112. If the first putt stoppedon the putting area 102, the golfer receives a score of 2 strokes forthat hole. Otherwise, if the first putt rolled into the out-of-boundsgutter area 112, the golfer receives a score of three strokes for thathole. The total number of strokes for nine holes constitutes the gamescore for the golfer.

In another embodiment, the golfer may attempt any number of putts tosink the golf ball in the selected hole. A ball struck into theout-of-bounds gutter area 112 may result in a two-stroke penalty, andthe golfer is allowed to replace the ball on the putting surface 102 ina drop area that is approximately the length of a putter head from thelocation of the out-of-bounds gutter area 112 where the golf ball rolledto a stop. The total number of strokes for each hole constitutes thescore for the hole, and the total number of strokes for nine holesconstitutes the game score for the golfer.

In still another embodiment, the golfer may attempt up to a thresholdnumber of putts to sink the golf ball in the selected hole. A ballstruck into the out-of-bounds gutter area 112 may result in a two-strokepenalty, and the golfer is allowed to replace the ball on the puttingsurface 102 in a drop area that is approximately the length of a putterhead from the location of the out-of-bounds gutter area 112 where thegolf ball rolled to a stop. The total number of strokes for each hole upto the threshold number constitutes the score for the hole, and thetotal number of strokes for nine holes constitutes the game score forthe golfer. In some embodiments, the threshold number may be threestrokes, four strokes, five strokes, or some other number. Otherembodiments are also possible.

As shown, the first hole may provide an uphill putt from the tee area614 to the hole 604. The second hole may provide a cross-slope putt fromthe tee area 616 to the hole 606. The third hole may provide a downhillputt from the tee area 618 to the hole 608. The fourth hole may providea cross-slope putt from the tee area 612 to the hole 602 that has abreak that is opposite to the cross-slope putt of the second hole. In aparticular embodiment of the golf putting pad 600, the first, second,third, and fourth holes provide nine foot putts that are uphill,downhill, or cross-slope. The fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth holesprovide six foot putts that are at a forty-five degree angle that areboth cross-slope and either uphill or downhill. The last hole mayinclude a 12 foot putt at a diagonal, either uphill and cross-slope ordownhill and cross-slope.

From a practice perspective, some golfers may succeed in putting fromthe tee area 616 to the hole 606, and may struggle to make a putt fromthe tee area 612 to the hole 602. Though the slope may be the same forboth putts, golfers may struggle to read the amount of putt break on theslope the same way in both directions. Accordingly, the golf putting pad600 may be used to practice a sequence of putts that may improve agolfer's putting and green-reading (amount of putt break).

The particular sequence of putts described with respect to the puttinggolf pad 600 of FIG. 6 represents one possible sequence. Other sequencesare also possible. In a particular example, the sequence may include thefour peripheral putts, followed by four long diagonal putts, andfollowed by one short diagonal putt to the center hole 610. In otherembodiments, still other sequences for playing the holes may also beused.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of a method 700 of playing a game using a golfputting pad, in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentdisclosure. The method 700 may include providing a putting pad includinga plurality of holes and including an out-of-bounds gutter area, at 702.The putting pad may be an embodiment of the putting pads described abovewith respect to FIGS. 1-6.

The method 700 may further include defining an ordered sequence by whicheach golfer is to complete a round by putting the ball to each hole inthe ordered sequence, at 704. Examples of ordered sequences aredescribed above with respect to FIG. 6, for example. Other orderedsequences may also be possible.

Further, the method 700 may include defining a plurality of tee areas,where each tee area corresponds to a start point for putting toward aparticular one of the plurality of holes, at 706. In some embodiments,the tee area for a particular hole may be aligned to a center of acorner hole or peripheral hole and may extend a number of inches, suchas up to six inches from an edge of a hole. The tee area may be orientedrelative to the hole toward which the golfer is to putt. One possibleexample of tee areas is described above with respect to FIG. 6.

The method 700 may also include maintaining a count of a number of puttstaken by a golfer to advance a golf ball from the tee area into acorresponding hole of the plurality of holes and for each hole of theplurality of holes until the round is complete, at 708. In someembodiments, the golfer may putt the ball as many times as needed inorder to sink a putt into the selected hole. If the ball falls into anunintended hole or enters the out-of-bounds gutter area 112, the golfermay receive a penalty (such as a one stroke or two stroke penalty) andthe golfer may have to place the ball at a pre-determined drop zone,such as within a golf head distance of stop location of the ball.

In some embodiments, the golfer may be limited to a maximum number ofputts for each hole. The limit may facilitate advancing multiple golfersthrough the sequence of holes rapidly, such as in a contest type ofsetting.

In some embodiments, the rules may specify that only the first puttcounts to determine the score for a particular hole. In this example, ifthe golfer makes the first putt, the golfer receives a score of one forthe hole. If the golfer misses, but the putt remains on the puttingsurface, the golfer receives a score of two for the hole. If the golfermisses and the ball enters the out-of-bounds gutter area, the golferreceives a score of three for the hole. The golfer completes the roundby completing nine (or some other designated number of) holes.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of a method 800 of playing a game using a golfputting pad, in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentdisclosure. In an example, the method 800 may be used with the golfputting pad 600 of FIG. 6 to provide a nine-hole competition. In someembodiments, the game may be played over multiple rounds, and the slopeof the golf putting pad 600 may be changed from round to round toincrease the difficulty with respect to the selected slope.

In some embodiments, a golfer may place a golf ball in a tee area forthe first hole of the course and putt toward the first hole. The method800 may include determining a score for the selected hole of theplurality of holes for the golfer based on a single putt, at 802. If theputt is made at 804, the method 800 may include incrementing a count ofthe number of putts by one for the golfer, at 806. The method 800 mayfurther include determining if there are more holes to be played, at808. If there are more holes, the round is not yet complete. The method800 may also include selecting a next hole in the ordered sequence, at810. The method 800 may then return to 802 to determine a score for theselected hole.

Returning to 804, if the putt is not made, the method 800 may includedetermining if the putted ball ended up out-of-bounds (i.e., in theout-of-bounds gutter area 112), at 812. If not, the putted ball remainedin the putting area 102 of the golf putting pad. The method 800 mayinclude incrementing a count of the number of putts by two for thegolfer, at 814. The method 800 may further include determining if thereare more holes to be played, at 808. If there are more holes, the roundis not yet complete. The method 800 may also include selecting a nexthole in the ordered sequence, at 810. The method 800 may then return to802 to determine a score for the selected hole.

Returning to 812, if the putted ball is out-of-bounds, the method 800may include incrementing a count of the number of putts by two for thegolfer, at 814. The method 800 may further include determining if thereare more holes to be played, at 808. If there are more holes, the roundis not yet complete. The method 800 may also include selecting a nexthole in the ordered sequence, at 810.

Returning to 808, if there are no more holes to be played, the method800 may include recording a final score of the round for the golfer, at818. The method 800 may further include comparing the final score ofeach of a plurality of golfers to determine a winner based on the lowestfinal score, at 820.

In the above-example, only the first putt toward each hole counts todetermine the score. However, in other embodiments, the golfer may beallowed any number of putts up to a threshold, at which point thethreshold score would be recorded for the particular golfer. In someembodiments, if the ball rolls into the out-of-bounds gutter area 112, apenalty may be applied, such as a two-stroke penalty, and the golfer mayhave to reposition the ball on the putting area 102 of the golf puttingpad approximately one club head length from a place where the ball cameto a stop.

In some embodiments, a contest may be held, which may involve eachparticipant playing multiple rounds. In some embodiments, the slope mayvary from round to round, such that golfer has to adjust to the changedslope of the golf putting pad with each new round. In some embodiments,the starting hole, the slope, the direction of rotation (clockwiserotation versus counter-clockwise rotation), or any combination thereof,may change with each successive game.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of a method 900 of playing a game using a golfputting pad, in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentdisclosure. The method 900 may include providing a putting surfaceincluding a plurality of holes and including an out-of-bounds area, theputting surface having a slope, at 902. The putting surface may be anembodiment of the golf putting pads of FIGS. 1-6. The method 900 mayalso include defining a tee area for each hole and an ordered sequenceby which each golfer is to play each of a plurality of holes to completea round, at 904. As discussed above, the order in which the holes are tobe played and the tee area for each hole may be defined, such that eachgolfer performs substantially the same putts. Once the golf putting padis provided and the sequence is defined, one or more games, matches, orcontests may be played using the golf putting pad and the associatedordered sequence.

The method 900 may further include placing a golf ball at the tee areafor a selected hole according to the ordered sequence, at 906. Themethod 900 may also include putting the ball toward the selected hole,at 908. The method 900 may further include incrementing a count of thenumber of putts, at 910.

At 912, if the count is greater than a pre-determined threshold, themethod 900 may include assigning the threshold count for the hole as thegolfer's score, at 914. The method 900 may advance to 916 and may addthe count to the golfer's total score. At 918, the method 900 mayinclude resetting the count. At 920, if there are more holes, the method900 may include selecting a next hole according to the ordered sequence,at 922. The method 900 may return to 906 and the golfer may place a ballat the tee area for the selected hole.

Returning to 912, if the count is less than the threshold, the method900 may include determining if the ball rolled into the out-of-boundsarea, at 924. If so, the method 900 may include assigning the thresholdcount for the hole as the golfer's score. The threshold may serve as theout-of-bounds penalty. Otherwise, at 924, if the ball remained on theputting area 102, the method 900 may include determining if the ballwent into the selected hole, at 926. If not, the method 900 returns to908 and the golfer may put the golf ball toward the selected hole.

If, at 926, the ball is determined to be in the selected hole, themethod 900 may include adding the count to the golfer's total score, at916. The method 900 may reset the count, at 918, and may determine ifthere are more holes to be played, at 920. If there are more holes to beplayed, the method 900 may include selecting the next hole according tothe ordered sequence, at 922, and may return to 906 to place the golfball at the tee area for the selected hole.

Returning to 920, if there are no more holes to be played, the method900 may include reporting the score as the final score for the golfer.The score may be reported to a computing system, recorded on a writtenscore card, or otherwise provided to a contest host.

It should be understood that the method 900 is similar to the method 800of FIG. 8, except that the golfer may be allowed to continue puttingtoward the selected hole provided that the ball does not roll into theout-of-bounds area or that the golfer does not exceed a threshold numberof putts. In some embodiments, when the ball rolls out of bounds (at924), instead of assigning the threshold count for the hole (at 914),the method 900 may be changed to adjust the count by a pre-determinedpenalty and the method may include allowing the golfer to move the golfball to a location on the putting pad that is a pre-determined distancefrom a stop location of the golf ball. In some embodiments, thepre-determined distance may be approximately one club head length fromthe out-of-bounds area where the previous putt came to a stop. In someembodiments, if the ball falls into an incorrect hole, the method mayinclude assigning penalty strokes to the golfer's score and may includeallowing the golfer to remove the ball from the incorrect hole and toreposition the ball on the putting surface at a club head lengthdistance from an edge of the incorrect hole. Other embodiments are alsopossible.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of a method 1000 of playing a game using agolf putting pad, in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentdisclosure. At 1002, the method 1000 may include providing a puttingsurface including a plurality of holes and including an out-of-boundsarea, where the putting surface has a slope. The putting surface may bean embodiment of the golf putting pads described above with respect toFIGS. 1-6. The method 1000 may further include defining an orderedsequence by which each golfer is to play each hole of the plurality ofholes to complete a round, at 1004.

At 1006, the method 1000 may include maintaining a count of a number ofputts taken by a golfer to complete the round. The method 1000 mayfurther include adding a count to a total score associated with thegolfer and reset the count. At 1010, the method 1000 may includedetermining if the golfer is to complete another round. If so, themethod 1000 may include adjusting at least one of the slope of theputting surface and the ordered sequence, at 1012. The slope may beadjusted either by configuring the support structures to provide thedesired slope or by providing a second putting surface having thedesired slope. In some embodiments, the ordered sequence may be adjustedby changing an order in which the holes are to be played, changing whichshots are to be played (e.g., changing one of the shots from a cornerhole to center hole shot to a corner hole to opposite (diagonal) cornerhole shot), and so on. Other embodiments are also possible.

The method 1000 may further include incrementing a count of a number ofrounds for the golfer, at 1014. The method 1000 may then return to 1006to maintain a number of putts taken by the golfer to complete the round.

Returning to 1010, if there is no other round to be played, the method1000 may include finalizing the total score associated with the golfer,at 1016. The method 1000 may also include reporting the total score, at1018. The score may be reported to a contest host, a computing system,and so on.

In some embodiments, a golf contest may be conducted using the slopedgolf putting pad and methods described above with respect to FIGS. 1-9.In an example, a contest may be played at multiple venues, each of whichmay include one or more of the golf putting pads. The slopes of the golfputting pads may be substantially the same. In some embodimentsinvolving multiple rounds, the slopes of the putting pads may beadjusted with each round to provide the same slopes. Further, thesequence in which the holes are to be played to complete each round maybe the same for each venue.

In some embodiments, golfers may complete a round, recording the scorefor each hole and a final score for the round. The golfer may thendeposit a score card, enter the score in an electronic device, orotherwise report the score. At the end of a period of time (such as theclose date and time of the contest) or after all of the registeredgolfers have completed their rounds, the contest host may compare thescores of the golfers to determine a winner. The winner will be a golferhaving the lowest total score.

In conjunction with the apparatus and methods described above withrespect to FIGS. 1-9, a golf putting pad is described that includes aputting area having a plurality of holes, a boundary area, and anout-of-bounds gutter area between the putting area and the boundaryarea. The holes may be distributed on the putting area such that one ofthe holes is located substantially at a center of the putting area andthe other holes may be spaced apart about the periphery of the puttingarea. In some embodiments, the peripheral holes may be spaced apart fromthe center hole by a substantially equal distance. In some embodiments,the peripheral holes may be located near corners of the putting area andmay be spaced apart by substantially equal distances. In someembodiments, the golf putting pad may be formed from a substantiallyplanar surface defining a substantially uniform slope. In someembodiments, the slope may be adjustable. In certain embodiments, thegolf putting pad may include adjustable supports and circuitryconfigured to control the adjustable supports to provide the desiredslope. Various scoring options may be employed to score a golfer and heor she traverses a sequence of holes to complete a round using the golfputting pad.

Although the present invention has been described with reference topreferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize thatchanges may be made in form and detail without departing from the scopeof the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A golf putting pad comprising: a substrate; aboundary area extending about a periphery of the substrate; a puttingarea extending over a portion of the substrate inside of the boundaryarea and including a plurality of holes, each hole sized to receive agolf ball; and an out-of-bounds gutter area between the putting area andthe boundary area and defining a periphery of the putting area.
 2. Thegolf putting pad of claim 1, wherein the out-of-bounds gutter areacomprises a gap between a putting turf associated with the putting areaand a second turf associated with the boundary area.
 3. The golf puttingpad of claim 1, wherein the out-of-bounds gutter area comprises aninterface between a putting turf associated with the putting area and asecond turf associated with the boundary area.
 4. The golf putting padof claim 1, wherein the out-of-bounds gutter area comprises a cut-outportion of the substrate.
 5. The golf putting pad of claim 1, whereinthe golf putting pad defines a substantially planar surface having agrade of slope within a range of zero percent to approximately fourpercent relative to a horizontal plane.
 6. The golf putting pad of claim5, wherein the slope is adjustable.
 7. The golf putting pad of claim 1,wherein the plurality of holes comprises: a first hole positioned at acenter of the putting area; and a plurality of second holes positionedaround and spaced substantially equidistant apart from the first hole.8. The golf putting pad of claim 1, wherein the putting area comprises asubstantially square shape, the golf putting pad further comprising: afirst hole positioned at a center of the putting area; and fourperipheral holes, each peripheral hole associated with a corner of theputting area and spaced apart from the first hole by a substantiallyequal distance.
 9. The golf putting pad of claim 6, wherein: the golfputting pad has a width of approximately sixteen feet; the putting areahas a width of approximately fifteen feet; and each of the fourperipheral holes is spaced apart from the center hole by approximatelysix feet, from each other by approximately nine feet, and from sides ofthe putting area by approximately three feet.
 10. A method comprising:providing a golf putting pad including a boundary area, a putting area,and an out-of-bounds gutter area, the boundary area extending about aperiphery of the golf putting pad, the putting area inside of theboundary area and including a plurality of holes, each hole is sized toreceive a golf ball, the out-of-bounds gutter area between the puttingarea and the boundary area and defining a periphery of the putting area;and determining a score for a golfer based on at least a first attemptto putt a golf ball into each hole of a selected sequence of theplurality of holes, the selected sequence defining a round; andrecording a total score for the round for the golfer based on the scorefor each hole.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the golf putting padcomprises a slope within a range of zero percent to five percent. 12.The method of claim 11, wherein the slope is adjustable within therange.
 13. The method of claim 11, further comprising defining theselected sequence of the plurality of holes to include at least oneuphill putt, at least one downhill putt, and at least two cross-slopeputts.
 14. The method of claim 10, further comprising: recording thetotal score of each golfer of a plurality of golfers; and comparing thetotal scores to determine a winner based on the lowest total score. 15.The method of claim 10, further comprising: changing at least one of theslope and the selected sequence of the plurality of holes to define asecond round; and determining a second score for the golfer for thesecond round based on at least a first attempt to putt the golf ballinto each hole of the second round; and recording a total score for thesecond round for the golfer based on the score for each hole.
 16. Themethod of claim 10, wherein determining the score comprises: assigning ascore of one for a selected hole when the golfer makes a first putt froma tee area into the selected hole; assigning a score of two for theselected hole when the golfer misses the first putt and the golf ballremains on the putting area; and assigning a score of three for theselected hole when the golfer misses the first putt and the golf ballrolls into the out-of-bounds gutter area.
 17. The method of claim 10,wherein determining the score comprises: counting a number of putts usedby the golfer to advance the golf ball from a tee area for a selectedhole into the hole; adding a penalty stroke to the number of putts whenthe golf ball rolls into the out-of-bounds gutter area or into anotherhole of the plurality of holes; and determining the score for the holewhen the golf ball falls into the selected hole.
 18. A golf putting padcomprising: a putting area defining a substantially planar surfaceincluding a plurality of holes, each hole sized to receive a golf ball;and an out-of-bounds gutter area along a periphery of the putting area;and wherein the putting area defines the grade of a slope within a rangeof zero percent to five percent.
 19. The golf putting pad of claim 18,further comprising one or more supports controllable to adjust the slopeto provide a selected slope.
 20. The golf putting pad of claim 18,wherein: the putting area includes a substantially square puttingsurface; the plurality of holes includes a center hole at an approximatecenter of the putting area and includes four peripheral holes nearcorners of the substantially square putting surface, the four peripheralholes spaced apart from each other by a first distance and from thecenter hole by a second distance that is approximately ⅔rds of the firstdistance.